Right enough, Turkmenistan is mostly desert. It's really hard to see how anyone could scratch out a living here, but live they do in the most barren landscape we've seen thus far. I'm writing this on my phone as we bounce along some of the worst roads we've driven on too. Bad enough to break our first spring in fact, and for some other part (to do with brakes, I think) to wear through some hose or other (possibly also to do with brakes.) Still, Will was able to effect a roadside repair in both cases pending something more permanent when time permits, as, due to the whole ferry/visa thing, we're a couple of days behind schedule.
Day 42 & 43 (Turkmenbashi to Kow Ata)
After a long drive through feature less deserts, our first night was spent bush camping just a bit down the road from the Kow Ata underground lakes, and the next morning we drove directly there to discover they hadn't opened yet. When they did, we were disappointed to learn that the price for admission was $15: a bit too much for us to pay. We had expected one price for looking and a higher price for swimming, but it seems the two have been rolled into one now.
Day 43 Cont’d (Kow Ata to Ashgabat)
From Kow Ata, we drove directly to the capital Ashgabat, an extraordinary oasis of official looking gleaming white marble buildings with gold decorations, set either side of mostly empty four lane (in either direction) boulevards lined by the most extravagantly ornamental lamp posts I've ever seen. Everywhere are gold or gilded statues, but nowhere can you take photos. as also everywhere are policemen with huge hats shaking large sticks and screaming 'No camera,' even if you're jut carrying one. (Incidentally, Police in the Turkmeni language is apparently 'Pygg',)After a bit of driving round, we found our hotel and base for the next two nights. As a couple, we were again put into a lovely big double room, albeit one that had seen better days. However, importantly, it's bathroom actually had a bath, so we keenly set about washing away the dust and grime of the part few days, in my case taking five washes to get my hair anything like clean.
After a rest and some time to let the heat of the day to throttle back a little, we ventured forth once more in search of food. We'd been told that a neighbouring hotel had a good Chinese restaurant, but on the way there met two of our truck mates on their way back who warned up that they had just been charged $100 for their meal: way too much for our wallets. Fortunately, when inspecting the menu of another nearby hotel's restaurant, we were befriended by the chef there who was very keen that we should follow him out to a pool~side table and prepare for us a meal of lamb kebabs, salsa and herb salad.
Day 44 Ashgabat
The next morning, after a bit of a morning, we took the bus to a shopping centre, another air conditioned temple of Mammon, in search of breakfast and for something to do in this locked~down city. (They have a museum, but it's rarely opened, we're told.) No cinema this time, so, after a while, even that lost it's appeal, as did the other gleaming white shopping centre directly opposite.After returning to the hotel for a sleep, Juli began to feel unwell. so rested for the remainder of the day and we both fasted that evening.
Day 45 Ashgabat to Darvaza
The next day was a long hard drive day, via an extensive (but closed) bazaar the size of the Metro Centre, to see the gas crater at Darvaza, known locally as the Gates of Hell, and it's not hard to see why. Google it or click on the corresponding pin in our Google Map if you're interested in reading more about what it is and how it came into being sometime in the mid eighties.The crater is a couple of kilometres off the main road the other side of some sand dunes. This necessitated our first experience this trip of a technique for getting very tired and very dirty, whilst covering very short distances over soft sand, very slowly called Sand Matting. Basically, for those of you lucky enough never to need to know more, you lay metal strips about a foot and a half wide by six to eight feet long with holes in for lightness in front of your vehicle's tyres, which can (and usually does) involve digging some sand out from in front of the tyre first, then driving forward on the mats and repeating as necessary. the idea is to spread the vehicle's weight over the the mats so as not to sink into the sand. It works so long as the vehicle stays on the mats, but the temptation is to see if they're still needed (or if you don't have enough mats) and drive on beyond the end of the mats, hence the frequent digging.
We were reassured, if that's the word, that not only was this good for our cellulite, whatever that is, but good practice for crossing the Gobi desert later in the trip. (Juli and I are now considering over-flying that section.)
Two specific memories: it was worth the effort to be able to spend the night right by this amazing phenomenon; competition for the solar shower that evening was fierce.
Day 46 (Darvaza to Konye Urgench & Uzbek border)
We started back for the main road very early (just after dawn) the following morning (without stopping for breakfast) because Will reckoned the sand would be marginally firmer at that time of day. If it's true, I'd hate to think what it would have been like otherwise, as getting out was much harder than getting in.After a roadside breakfast, we continued our long drive along more terrible roads towards the Uzbeki border via Konye Urgench, one of Turkmenistan and the old (12th century) Muslim world's most important sites, and still one of the tallest minarets today.
Unfortunately, by the time we got there, we only had half an hour to explore it, and then only just made to the border in time to cross that day before our transit visas expired. Karen said that future trips would not be taking the time to sand mat to the crater. I reckon cutting the full day at Ashgabat would be a better solution, but the thing with these trips is that everyone comes with different expectations, preferences and priorities, and, of course, she knows her target market best.
In the end we teased a bit more time at Konye Urgench and crossed out of Turkmenistan in time and into Uzbekistan. Mind you it, did mean that we were a bit late getting the dinner on - our cook group again - but, mercifully, Karen had anticipated this and chosen something quick and easy for that night. Tired and still very dirty, we went to bed on the truck roof, undisturbed by the nearly full moon.
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